editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Hansi Lo Wang is a national correspondent based at NPR's New York bureau. He covers the changing demographics of the U.S. and breaking news in the Northeast for NPR's Morning Edition , All Things Considered , Weekend Edition , hourly newscasts, and NPR.org. In 2016, his reporting after the church shooting in Charleston, S.C., won a Salute to Excellence National Media Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. He was also part of NPR's award-winning coverage of Pope Francis' tour of the U.S. His profile of a white member of a Boston Chinatown gang won a National Journalism Award from the Asian American Journalists Association in 2014. Since joining NPR in 2010 as a Kroc Fellow , he's contributed to NPR's breaking news coverage of the Orlando nightclub shooting, protests in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray, and the trial of George Zimmerman in Florida. Wang previously reported on race, ethnicity, and culture for NPR's Code Switch team. He has also reported forNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Hansi Lo WangThu, 08 Feb 2018 23:42:16 +0000Hansi Lo Wanghttp://wkar.org
Hansi Lo WangThe U.S. Census Bureau has announced it will change the way it counts troops deployed overseas, while keeping its policy on counting prisoners for the upcoming national headcount in 2020. How these two populations are factored into the 2020 census could affect the balance of power in government at both the federal and local levels. For the last census in 2010, all overseas military personnel were counted at the address they provided at enlistment. But in 2020, deployed service members will be counted as residents of the bases or ports they were temporarily assigned away from, according to a memo released this week by the Census Bureau. Incarcerated people will continue to be counted as residents of their correctional facilities, despite calls to count them at their home addresses. Tracking deployed troops For many of the communities surrounding military bases around the country, the bureau's decision is seen as a long-awaited victory after years of advocating for a change in policy. 2020 Census To Count Deployed Troops At Home Bases, Prisoners At Facilitieshttp://wkar.org/post/2020-census-count-deployed-troops-home-bases-prisoners-facilities
114338 as http://wkar.orgThu, 08 Feb 2018 10:02:00 +00002020 Census To Count Deployed Troops At Home Bases, Prisoners At FacilitiesHansi Lo WangThere's been a decades-long push for the U.S. Census Bureau to collect more detailed data on people with roots in the Middle East or North Africa, also known as MENA. Advocates of that campaign hit another roadblock Friday, when the Census Bureau announced it is not planning to add a MENA category to the 2020 census. "We do feel that more research and testing is needed," Karen Battle, chief of the bureau's population division, explained Friday at a public meeting on 2020 census preparations . Researchers at the bureau have been looking into how to better collect race and ethnicity information from census participants of Middle Eastern or North African descent. In a report released last year , they concluded that "it is optimal to use a dedicated 'Middle Eastern or North African' response category" on the 2020 census questionnaires. "The inclusion of a MENA category helps MENA respondents to more accurately report their MENA identities," the researchers wrote. But at Friday's meeting,No Middle Eastern Or North African Category On 2020 Census, Bureau Sayshttp://wkar.org/post/no-middle-eastern-or-north-african-category-2020-census-bureau-says
113838 as http://wkar.orgMon, 29 Jan 2018 20:29:00 +0000No Middle Eastern Or North African Category On 2020 Census, Bureau SaysHansi Lo WangUpdated at 3:36 p.m. ET Friday A Census Bureau announcement about the race and ethnicity questions for the 2020 census suggests the Trump administration will not support Obama-era proposals to change how the U.S. government collects information about race and ethnicity , census experts say. If approved, the proposals would change how the Latino population is counted and create a new checkbox on federal surveys for people with roots in the Middle East or North Africa. Research by the Census Bureau shows these revisions could improve the accuracy of the upcoming national headcount in 2020. Any changes would carry wide implications for legislative redistricting, civil rights laws and health statistics. So far, though, the White House's Office of Management and Budget, which sets the standards for race and ethnicity data for federal agencies, has not released any decisions. OMB has also not responded to NPR's request for comment. Still, on Friday, the Census Bureau's head of the 20202020 Census To Keep Racial, Ethnic Categories Used In 2010http://wkar.org/post/census-request-suggests-no-race-ethnicity-data-changes-2020-experts-say
113694 as http://wkar.orgFri, 26 Jan 2018 12:06:00 +00002020 Census To Keep Racial, Ethnic Categories Used In 2010Hansi Lo WangIn 1968, 1,300 black men from the Memphis Department of Public Works went on strike after a malfunctioning truck crushed two garbage collectors to death. The strike led to marches with demonstrators carrying signs declaring "I Am A Man." Their organizing efforts drew support from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. before his assassination. "We were just fighting for equal payment and equal rights from the sanitation department," Elmore Nickleberry, one of the workers who went on strike and continued to work for the city decades later, told NPR last year. On Monday night, the NAACP Image Awards honored the sanitation workers who went on strike 50 years ago with its Vanguard Award. Derrick Johnson, the NAACP's president and CEO, says the country's oldest civil rights organization honored the workers for fighting for safer conditions and better pay. "There would have never been a civil rights movement if individuals were not being exploited for free and cheap labor," Johnson says. "And theNAACP Honors Memphis Sanitation Workers Who Went On Strike In 1968http://wkar.org/post/naacp-honors-memphis-sanitation-workers-who-went-strike-1968
113152 as http://wkar.orgMon, 15 Jan 2018 22:30:00 +0000NAACP Honors Memphis Sanitation Workers Who Went On Strike In 1968Hansi Lo WangEvery decade, the U.S. Census Bureau asks some personal questions for the national headcount required by the constitution. But since 1960, one topic that hasn't come up for all U.S. residents is citizenship. The Trump administration is trying to change that with a Department of Justice request for a question about citizenship on the 2020 census. In a letter to the Census Bureau, first reported by ProPublica , a Justice Department official made the case for asking about citizenship. In order for the department to enforce the Voting Rights Act's protections against racial discrimination in voting, the official wrote, it needs a better count of citizens who are old enough to vote. The Census Bureau confirms the bureau received the letter. "The request will go through the well-established process required for any potential new question," a spokesperson for the bureau, Moniqua Roberts-Gray, said in a statement. The Justice Department has not responded to a request for comment. The requestAdding Citizenship Question Risks 'Bad Count' For 2020 Census, Experts Warnhttp://wkar.org/post/adding-citizenship-question-risks-bad-count-2020-census-experts-warn
112915 as http://wkar.orgWed, 10 Jan 2018 16:32:00 +0000Adding Citizenship Question Risks 'Bad Count' For 2020 Census, Experts WarnHansi Lo WangLatinos are one of the fastest-growing racial or ethnic groups in the U.S. But a new finding by the Pew Research Center suggests the Hispanic population may not get as big as demographers have predicted. About one in 10 adults with Hispanic parents, grandparents or other ancestors do not identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to Pew. The report estimates this group includes close to five million people, many of whom say their background is "mixed" or their Hispanic roots are "too far back." "It's not that they're hiding their Hispanic background," says Mark Hugo Lopez, Pew's director of Hispanic research who co-wrote the report. "But they just don't self-identify or feel that they should affiliate themselves with being Hispanic or identifying as Latino." Pew's findings come from two national surveys conducted between 2015 and 2016 among more than 1,900 adults who said they are of Hispanic heritage. Possible implications for the Latino population Though adults with Hispanic ancestryLatino Identity Fades As Immigrant Ties Weaken, Study Findshttp://wkar.org/post/latino-identity-fades-immigrant-ties-weaken-study-finds
112073 as http://wkar.orgWed, 20 Dec 2017 19:57:00 +0000Latino Identity Fades As Immigrant Ties Weaken, Study FindsHansi Lo WangIt has been called antiquated and even insulting. But back in 1900, "Negro" was considered modern — a term that could replace a flawed set of categories used to classify people of African descent for the U.S. census. This was a period when a person's race was determined by a census taker, who reported the information back to the federal government based on observations. "Be particularly careful to distinguish between blacks, mulattoes, quadroons, and octoroons," census takers were instructed for the 1890 census . "The word 'black' should be used to describe those persons who have three-fourths or more black blood; 'mulatto,' those persons who have from three-eighths to five-eighths black blood; 'quadroon,' those persons who have one-fourth black blood; and 'octoroon,' those persons who have one-eighth or any trace of black blood." But later in a report on the 1890 census results , the government concluded: "These figures are of little value." "Quadroon" and "octoroon" have never been'Negro' Not Allowed On Federal Forms? White House To Decidehttp://wkar.org/post/negro-not-allowed-federal-forms-white-house-decide
111740 as http://wkar.orgWed, 13 Dec 2017 20:01:00 +0000'Negro' Not Allowed On Federal Forms? White House To DecideHansi Lo WangA major decision on the way the U.S. government collects information about race and ethnicity through the census and other surveys was expected to be announced this week by the Trump administration. But the White House's Office of Management and Budget, which sets standards for this type of data for all federal agencies, was silent on Friday, which OMB had said was the deadline for an announcement. A spokesperson for OMB could not provide any information about the delay. Under consideration by the White House are proposals introduced during the Obama administration that would fundamentally change how the government counts the Latino population. Another proposal would create a new checkbox on census forms and other federal surveys for people with roots in the Middle East or North Africa. If approved, the policy changes could have significant implications on the upcoming 2020 census, as well as legislative redistricting, civil rights laws and health statistics. "[The delay] tells me theTrump Administration Delays Decision On Race, Ethnicity Data For Census http://wkar.org/post/trump-administration-delays-decision-race-ethnicity-data-census
111177 as http://wkar.orgSat, 02 Dec 2017 13:15:00 +0000Trump Administration Delays Decision On Race, Ethnicity Data For Census Hansi Lo WangUpdated Dec. 6 Some major changes may be coming to how the U.S. government collects data about the country's racial and ethnic makeup. The Trump administration has been considering proposals to ask about race and ethnicity in a radical new way on the 2020 Census and other surveys that follow standards set by the White House. Introduced when President Obama was still in office, the proposed changes could result in a fundamental shift in how the government counts the Latino population. Another proposal would create a new checkbox on the census form for people with roots in the Middle East or North Africa, or MENA , which would be the first ethnic or racial category to be added in decades. The White House's Office of Management and Budget was expected to release a decision on these proposals by Dec. 1, its self-imposed deadline. It's unclear now when an announcement may come out and how that timing may affect the Census Bureau's upcoming report to Congress on the final wording of the 2020How The U.S. Defines Race And Ethnicity May Change Under Trumphttp://wkar.org/post/how-us-defines-race-and-ethnicity-may-change-under-trump
110752 as http://wkar.orgThu, 23 Nov 2017 11:54:00 +0000How The U.S. Defines Race And Ethnicity May Change Under TrumpHansi Lo WangMore than two months since Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas and historic flooding damaged tens of thousands of houses in the Houston area, many homeowners who got hit are in a bind. Their now-gutted homes are financial drains. That's bringing out investors who are eager to pick up damaged houses at low prices. Call it a post-Harvey frenzy for flooded homes. Corey Boyer, an investor based in Cypress, Texas, has been putting in more than a handful of offers – many site unseen. "I've seen plenty of flood houses at this point, so I had a pretty good idea what we were walking into," he says before unlocking a gate outside a rose-brick rambler in Humble, Texas, just north of Houston. Inside, water dripping from an exposed bathroom pipe echoes through this skeleton of a home. The water-soaked insulation and drywall have been ripped out. What used to be the kitchen and living room is now mostly just wooden studs and copper wiring. "As unfortunate as this situation is, this is one of theReal Estate Investors Rush To Buy Houston Homes Damaged By Floodinghttp://wkar.org/post/some-real-estate-investors-eager-buy-houston-homes-damaged-flooding
110078 as http://wkar.orgWed, 08 Nov 2017 21:31:00 +0000Real Estate Investors Rush To Buy Houston Homes Damaged By FloodingHansi Lo WangWater spinach goes by many other names. A staple among some Asian-American families for stir-frys and soups, this stalky vegetable with arrowhead leaves and hollow stems is known as ong choy in Cantonese and rau muống in Vietnamese. But in a Cambodian-American community tucked down the gravel roads of Rosharon, Texas — about a half-hour south of Houston — most people call it by its Khmer name, trakoun. Often sold in the produce section of Asian-owned supermarkets around the country, the vegetable is the main source of income for many families in Rosharon. This country town is one of the few parts of the U.S. where water spinach is grown commercially. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has issued more than 50 active permits in Rosharon for growing water spinach, a highly regulated, invasive plant that the federal government considers a noxious weed , making it illegal to sell across state lines without a permit. But almost two months after Hurricane Harvey and historic floodingWater Spinach Farmers Struggle To Recover After Hurricane Harveyhttp://wkar.org/post/water-spinach-farmers-struggle-recover-after-hurricane-harvey
109411 as http://wkar.orgThu, 26 Oct 2017 09:03:00 +0000Water Spinach Farmers Struggle To Recover After Hurricane HarveyHansi Lo WangAfter an outcry from advisers to the U.S. Census Bureau, the federal agency is no longer considering a proposal to remove a question about sexual orientation from a marketing survey for the 2020 Census. Members of a working group of the bureau's National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations on a conference call on Tuesday with bureau staffers raised concerns after learning about the proposal to change the draft questionnaire for the Census Barriers, Attitudes and Motivators Survey, or CBAMS, according to meeting minutes obtained by NPR . Responses to this survey help the bureau craft its marketing campaign to encourage different segments of the U.S. population to participate in the 2020 Census. The survey's questions try to gauge why certain people — especially among what the bureau considers "hard-to-count" populations, such as racial and ethnic minorities, unauthorized immigrants, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community — do not participate. TheAfter Scuffle, Census To Add Sexual Orientation Question To Marketing Surveyhttp://wkar.org/post/after-scuffle-census-add-sexual-orientation-question-marketing-survey
108145 as http://wkar.orgThu, 28 Sep 2017 21:33:00 +0000After Scuffle, Census To Add Sexual Orientation Question To Marketing SurveyHansi Lo WangAsian-Americans are an incredibly diverse group. To help capture that diversity, some states have recently passed laws requiring state agencies to collect more detailed demographic data about the country's fastest-growing racial group. Those policies have been met with a backlash from within the Asian-American community. Massachusetts state Rep. Tackey Chan, a Democrat who in January introduced a bill calling for more Asian-American data , says his office started receiving a series of phone calls and emails raising concerns about the bill last month. "To be honest with you, I was rather surprised by that," says Chan, a Democrat whose district includes Quincy, Mass., home to the second-largest Asian-American population in the state after Boston . Chan says there's little to no information at the state or local level about Asian-Americans. If passed, his bill would require state agencies in Massachusetts to identify Asian-American and Pacific Islander respondents in surveys about, for'Racist Bill'? Chinese Immigrants Protest Effort To Collect More Asian-American Datahttp://wkar.org/post/protests-against-push-disaggragate-asian-american-data
105813 as http://wkar.orgSat, 05 Aug 2017 22:47:00 +0000'Racist Bill'? Chinese Immigrants Protest Effort To Collect More Asian-American DataHansi Lo WangUpdated at 4:10 p.m. ET Members of the oldest civil rights organization in the U.S., the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, are heading into their annual meeting with no speaker from the White House and a new interim president and CEO. The meeting started Saturday in Baltimore. On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed that for the second year President Trump declined the NAACP's invitation to speak at the national convention, which has hosted both Presidents Obama and George W. Bush while they were in office. Trump skipped the event last year as a presidential candidate. Sanders said that the Trump administration would like to have dialogue with the group. In a written statement, the chair of the NAACP's national board of directors, Leon Russell, said they're ready. But he also added that Trump's decision "underscores the harsh fact ... we've lost the will of the current administration to listen to issues facing the BlackNAACP Holds First Trump-Era Convention With New Interim Leaderhttp://wkar.org/post/naacp-holds-first-trump-era-convention-no-national-leader
105126 as http://wkar.orgSat, 22 Jul 2017 13:31:00 +0000NAACP Holds First Trump-Era Convention With New Interim LeaderHansi Lo WangCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: The NAACP starts its annual meeting this weekend, which makes it a moment to wrestle with an annual dilemma. How can the nation's oldest civil rights organization stay relevant? In the age of Black Lives Matter, younger activists aren't always sure what the NAACP's role is. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang has a preview of the annual meeting. HANSI LO WANG, BYLINE: A few weeks ago, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People received a letter. It was from the leaders of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, who wrote, what is the mission and vision for the NAACP today? If you get on a bus, you want to know where the bus is going. We don't know where the NAACP is going. And according to activist DeRay McKesson, who's part of the Black Lives Matter movement, neither do many millennial activists. DERAY MCKESSON: I remember being in Ferguson, when we were there in the initial wave of protests. And there was a youngerA Century After Its Founding, NAACP Strives To Stay Relevant http://wkar.org/post/century-after-its-founding-naacp-strives-stay-relevant
105078 as http://wkar.orgFri, 21 Jul 2017 12:11:00 +0000A Century After Its Founding, NAACP Strives To Stay Relevant Hansi Lo WangUpdated Tuesday, September 5 During the Obama administration, at least four federal agencies, including the Justice Department, asked the Census Bureau to add questions about sexual orientation and gender identity to the American Community Survey , NPR has learned. Besides the Justice Department, those agencies include the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Environmental Protection Agency. Still, in March, the bureau concluded there was " no federal data need " to ask about sexual orientation and gender identity on the largest survey in the U.S., which is conducted with about 3.5 million households each year and is used to help distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds. Many LGBT rights groups say accurate national data about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are critical in making sure their needs are met. In July, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., reintroduced bills inCensus Bureau Caught In Political Mess Over LGBT Datahttp://wkar.org/post/census-bureau-found-no-need-lgbt-data-despite-4-agencies-requesting-it
104907 as http://wkar.orgTue, 18 Jul 2017 18:34:00 +0000Census Bureau Caught In Political Mess Over LGBT DataHansi Lo WangIt's been almost four years since Patrisse Khan-Cullors helped birth the hashtag #blacklivesmatter. Those three words gained national attention for demonstrations against police brutality and grew into a movement. But progress has been slow, admits Khan-Cullors, a Los Angeles-based activist who co-founded the Black Lives Matter Network. "The local is where the work is. If we're looking at just the national, it's pretty devastating. But if you zoom into cities, to towns, to rural areas, people are fighting back and people are winning," she says, pointing to one example in Jackson, Miss., where voters recently elected a progressive new mayor in the Deep South. Other Black Lives Matter activists around the country, who are part of a decentralized movement, are also focusing on local activism. "We go to locations where people generally ... don't have to think about or don't want to think about white supremacy and patriarchy and how that's affecting black people," says Mike Bento, anAmid 'Devastating' Progress Nationally, Black Lives Matter Engages Local Causeshttp://wkar.org/post/amid-devastating-progress-nationally-black-lives-matter-engages-local-causes
104188 as http://wkar.orgMon, 03 Jul 2017 16:59:00 +0000Amid 'Devastating' Progress Nationally, Black Lives Matter Engages Local CausesHansi Lo WangThe U.S. Census Bureau has never asked Americans about sexual orientation and gender identity. Last year, though, requests for that data came from more than 75 members of Congress and multiple federal agencies. Still, the Census Bureau concluded "there was no federal data need" to collect this information, the bureau's outgoing director, John Thompson, wrote in March . A document obtained by NPR through a Freedom of Information Act request, however, reveals that the Department of Housing and Urban Development told the bureau that there indeed was a need. "Valid, reliable, and nationally representative data on sexual orientation and gender identity are essential to HUD fulfilling its mission," former HUD Secretary Julián Castro wrote in a letter to Thompson dated June 30, 2016. The letter recommended adding sexual orientation and gender identity questions to the American Community Survey , which the Census Bureau conducts annually with about 3 million households to, in part, determineCollecting LGBT Census Data Is 'Essential' To Federal Agency, Document Showshttp://wkar.org/post/collecting-lgbt-census-data-essential-federal-agency-document-shows
103488 as http://wkar.orgTue, 20 Jun 2017 09:00:00 +0000Collecting LGBT Census Data Is 'Essential' To Federal Agency, Document ShowsHansi Lo WangCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: Now more about what we've learned about the man who fired on a congressional baseball practice yesterday. Before James Hodgkinson traveled to Virginia, he lived in the town of Belleville, Ill., near St. Louis. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang is in Belleville and joins us now. Hi, Hansi. HANSI LO WANG, BYLINE: Hey, Ari. SHAPIRO: I understand the wife of the shooter spoke to reporters for the first time since the attack. What did she say? WANG: Well, she was very upset speaking to reporters who have been camped outside of her home. Let's listen to a clip of what she said. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) SUZANNE HODGKINSON: I had no idea this was going to happen, and I don't know what to say about it. I can't wrap my head around it. WANG: She got a lot of questions from reporters. And we learned that her husband told her that he wanted to go to Washington D.C. to work with people to change the tax brackets. And she said she had no idea whatWife Of GOP Baseball Practice Shooter Speaks Out http://wkar.org/post/wife-gop-baseball-practice-shooter-speaks-out
103327 as http://wkar.orgFri, 16 Jun 2017 00:44:00 +0000Wife Of GOP Baseball Practice Shooter Speaks Out Hansi Lo WangD.J. and Angela Ross were not supposed to end up together, according to their families. "Actually my grandma on both sides used to tell me, 'Boy, you better leave those white girls alone or else we're going to come find you hanging from a tree,' " says D.J., 35, who is black and grew up in southern Virginia. Angela, 40, who is white and was also raised in Virginia, remembers being warned: "You can have friends with black people, and that's fine. But don't ever marry a black man." But on Valentine's Day 2008, Angela tied the knot with D.J. in their home state. More than 50 years ago, their marriage would have broken a Virginia law. Designed to "preserve racial integrity," it allowed a white person to only marry people who had "no trace whatsoever of any blood other than Caucasian" or who fell under what was known as the "Pocahontas Exception" for having "one-sixteenth or less of the blood of the American Indian" and "no other non-Caucasic blood." Virginia wasn't always for all lovers InInterracial Marriages Face Pushback 50 Years After Lovinghttp://wkar.org/post/interracial-marriages-face-pushback-50-years-after-loving
103077 as http://wkar.orgMon, 12 Jun 2017 09:01:00 +0000Interracial Marriages Face Pushback 50 Years After Loving